Hat wear has historically been a prominent part of style and fashion. One particular style of hat apparel, visored caps, has recently become extremely popular for active outdoor wear and for casual wear. One particular problem associated with these caps, as well as with any visored headwear, is that they can unexpectedly dislodged from the head of the user under windy conditions or extreme physical activities. This event is particularly bothersome in circumstances where recovery of the hat may not be easily accomplished, such as during sporting activities (e.g., fly-fishing, snow skiing, jet skiing, etc.) or open-air traveling (e.g., motorcycle, convertibles, speed boating, etc.).
Numerous hat retaining devices have been developed to facilitate hat recovery in the previously mentioned conditions. Almost all hat retaining structure typically include a lengthy, flexible tether having a clip on one end, and some mounting structure coupling the other end to the hat or cap. One problem typically associated with these devices is that during non-use, the lengthy tether is unsupported and dangles or hangs freely. This free dangle can be quite unsightly, easily tangled or potentially hazardous to small children.
Attempts to retract the tether during non-use have been proposed in some tether devices. These assemblies, however, are either too complex, do not function adequately or significantly alter the footprint of the headwear. Accordingly, there is a need for a retractable hat tether device that eliminates the aforementioned problems.